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Sloppy Joes

These are an all-American favourite. As the name suggests, they have a messy appearance – a bolognese mixture served between wholemeal rolls – but it's a recipe all the family will love, and it can be prepared ahead. Lean minced turkey is used here as a lower-fat alternative to minced beef, but you could use either.

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Ingredients
Serves: 4

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 celery sticks, finely chopped

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped

1 aubergine, finely diced

1 garlic clove, crushed

500g lean minced turkey

400g can chopped tomatoes

2 tsp tomato purée

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

To serve, 4 large soft wholemeal rolls or baps

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MethodPrep:10min › Cook:40min › Ready in:50min

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a moderate heat. Add the celery, onion, carrot, aubergine and garlic and fry for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened.

Add the turkey to the pan, stirring well to break up the meat and mix with the vegetables. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until there is no trace of pink left in the turkey.

Stir in the canned tomatoes with the tomato purée and basil. Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer gently for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.

Just before serving, cut the rolls in half and lightly toast them. Spoon the turkey mixture over the base halves of the rolls, then cover with the top halves and serve immediately.

variation

Make this into a more sophisticated dish by spicing it up a little. Add 1 tsp chilli powder (or to taste) with the vegetables as they are softening in step 1 and/or 1 deseeded and finely chopped fresh red chilli with the turkey in step 2.

cook's tip

You can make the turkey mixture ahead of time. Allow to cool, then transfer to a sealed container and keep in the fridge or freezer until required. Reheat thoroughly.

As an American, neither of these are good recipes. Why on earth someone would be putting Aubergine, carrot, basil, or celery in a sloppy joe is beyond me. As for ketchup, the ot people who would use ketchup as their sauce are people who think McDonald's is sophisticated cuisine.
Sloppy Joes should use a tangy BBQ sauce IF you're going to use a bottled sauce, otherwise, make it yourself with tomato purée, cider vinegar, brown sugar, chilli powder, salt and pepper....
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01 Sep 2015